US applauds Modi-Sharif meeting

Pti, Washington

The United States has applauded the meeting between the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif, as senior administration officials said they were “cautiously hopeful” about the improvement in the relationship between the two South Asian neighbours. “We are cautiously hopeful that that (Modi-Sharif) could be a positive indicator, but we're also mindful that this will be very important to the dynamic going forward,” a senior Obama administration official said on the condition of anonymity. The official said that the administration is hopeful that the initial indication between both Islamabad and New Delhi is a positive one. Another senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the White House has seen a constructive tone set from the very beginning by both Modi and Sharif, who was one of the first leaders to speak to the Indian PM after his victory in the elections. Modi, who was sworn-in as India's 15th Prime Minister on Tuesday, voiced concerns over terrorism originating from Pakistan in his 45-minute meeting with Mr. Sharif. Meanwhile, Pakistan yesterday said the actual outcome of the meeting between Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif was much better than expected. "Pak PM had a constructive bilateral meeting and also invited the Indian PM. Although the visit was for a ceremonial occasion, the outcome was better than we expected Nawaz Sharif's national security and foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz said yesterday at a press conference in Islamabad.